I think it would be far better to allocate them in order of seniority, since when a driver retires his number would be theoretically up for grabs for a rookie to take (unless it was retired out of respect).

I think that if we just had big, prominent numbers then most of the problems would go away. Also, part of the reason drivers were associated with numbers was because they drove for the same team year after year, like Nigel Mansell (apart from his Ferrari years) and I think it’s that we should return to. Imagine Alonso becoming world champion in the #27 Ferrari, for example.

My number would be #0891-555-0000, calls would cost 40 pounds per minute. I would drive a pink HRT, and purposely hold up the rest of the field during the race to get maximum exposure.. I may ever accidently knock off Schumacher a few times.

..of course, if Schumacher wants to complain about my driving, he can call #0891-555-0000. Calls cost 40 pounds per minutes, and the terms and conditions would be explained to him fully before progressing. Calls may be recording for personal amusement.

Imagine Alonso becoming world champion in the #27 Ferrari, for example.

I don’t want to think about it. Alonso doesn’t incite the same excitement for me as the likes of Gilles Villeneuve did. For him to win with Villeneuve’s number and to claim it was the same thing woud be an abberation.

@PM – well I think he is doing this to try and build up the identities and personalities of the drivers.

What’s the problem? Apart from Italy and Ferrari fans, most spectators have a favourite driver. It’s easy enough to tell the cars apart because of the livery, and while it is possible to tell drivers in the same team apart, it’s still not the same. Having a driver associated with a particular number would make it easier for those fans who follow a driver. Like me, for instance. I’m a Jenson Button fan, but that doesn’t mean I’m a fan of McLaren. If Button were to leave for another team tomorrow, then I wouldn’t check out the McLaren results the way I do Button’s. Having Button associated with a particular number would make it easy to pick him out of a group, especially if his team-mate is there with him.

like in other sports, the australian karting community communicates with each other using racing numbers. There’s all the famous number combinations.. and sure, seeing a driver with a number isn’t going to do much, but when the driver races with the number throughout their career it becomes synonymous with them.. everyone fears lining up against the 96 here.. everyone knows the 68 is fast, and the 48 has been passed down through generations and is always associated with a certain team.. Everyone knows me as #21.. heck, i even have it on my helmet!

the only variable number each season should be the #1.

Making the numbers like this won’t hurt anyone, and it likewise won’t make a whole lot of difference.. but eventually numbers could be central to an F1 driver.. there’s no point in just giving them the place they finished in the CWC year after year

I guess problems could arise on the team side. Since F1 has used the current system for so long. attracting potential sponsors has a lot to do with how far you are up the grid. Usually they will notice the number on the car. I guess some sponsors may ignore someone with #22 on their car?

I don’t think that would be a problem. Sponsors who are looking to get involved in Formula 1 don’t make the decision to do so overnight. They’ll watch for a while, see who best fits their corporate image. And if they’re watching, they’ll know who is doing well and who isn’t.

In 1963 the first ever Japanese GP was held at Suzuka . The driver favored to win was Masao Asano .His choise of number baffeled the crowd – 42 .

For 42 was the number most Japanese tried to avoid . The arabic numerals for 42 transalate as shi ni which is realated to the Japanese word shingu(to die) .

Asano dismissed it as superstition . At the end of the first lap he took the lead , but at the final bend his car went out of control and crashed . He died .

The Japanese Auto Federation banned the use of the number 42 on any car racing in Japan .

Next year Japan’s second GP was being held at Suzuka . During the race it was discovered that a car with umber 42 had done 8 of the 25 laps . No one could describe the car or the driver . It disappeared just as it arrived .

My initial thought was- this is great! But, thinking about it, the importance of numbers is more of a US sport thing, it’s never really been a big deal in F1. The only example I can think of a driver being refered to by his number is Nigel Mansell and his red number 5. F1 cars aren’t suited to numbers like NASCAR’s or even bikes are. The nose cone is narrow, so they’re always going to be small.

“Oran Park raceway was destroyed to make way for a housing estate…”

Oh I never knew that! Oran Park used to be good on TOCA Race Driver (or the V8 Supercars game as you Aussie’s will know it), those hilly esses towards the end of the lap were fun

So most fans use the coloured cameras to figure out who the driver is.

I have never done that! I honestly wouldn’t have the faintest idea who has what coloured camera, I have always identified drivers by their helmets. Although this number thing does sound like a good idea, I don’t really see that anyone would refer to or identify drivers by their numbers.

I loved reading through the replies to this thread! Prisoner Monkeys began with “I like this”, whilst sw6569 started by saying “I’d love this”. As did ajokay and AUS_Steve! I get the impression a lot of people like the idea…

I don’t really see that anyone would refer to or identify drivers by their numbers.

Like I said earlier: it’s not something that would happen straight away. It would take a little time for a driver to become associated with a particular number.

The arabic numerals for 42 transalate as shi ni which is realated to the Japanese word shingu(to die) .

The number 17 is considered unlucky in Italy for similar reasons. 17 in Roman numerals is XVII, an anagram of VIXI, a Latin word that means “I have seen” or “I have died”. Esteban Tuero, who drove for Minadi in the laste 1990s, was notorious for refusing to race any car with the numbers 13 or 17.

I like this idea. The use of the camera unit colour for identification is sometimes difficult. The cars move so fast, the TV shots are sometimes fit inducing in their composition and editing and the lighting conditions aren’t ideal. Coupled with a small camera unit where there are still large patches of black carbon fibre.

Reserving the #1 will be necessary so someone doesn’t use it randomly, but the reigning champ should be given the choice to use it or not.

The numbers now are meaningless. If they send out an “Incident involving Car 8 and 14 are under investigation by the stewards” you don’t immediately think “Alonso and Sutil” (for 2010), or “Rosberg and Sutil” (for 2011).